Sharks! Sharks! – Get out!

For all those who have listened to me over the past few months and dipped your tootsies into the water and made some nice profits — it’s now time to consider pulling your money out for a while and staying safe on the sidelines — especially if you aren’t a more seasoned investor buying options to let the puts and calls protect you.

I feel like a mother watching my kids swimming in the water and a lifeguard comes by and whispers “There’s some sharks out there — but don’t worry — we don’t think they’re going to come too close to the shore.”

My instinct then and my advice to you now is — Get the hell out!

Look, here’s the situation:

No one, but no one, knows what the heck is going to happen on Wall Street over the next few weeks — or months — and here’s why:

We have a jobs report coming out tomorrow, and my gut tells me it’s going to be even worse than most estimates.

If my gut is right — and it usually is — that could easily lead to a huge sell-off on Wall Street.

Not to mention in a couple of weeks the earnings reports will start coming out.

If those aren’t good — and I suspect many will not be — on top of a bad jobs report — this market could see a sharp sell-off.

It may not.

No doubt about it.

Many are likely going to try to do some bottom picking on some pullbacks — or try to ride it out.

Not me.

I’m a safety kinda girl.

There will be some — especially options traders — who will take full advantage of the volatility and make some money.

But if you’re not a seasoned trader — then just as I warned everyone over a year ago — get out!

I’d rather miss a little uptick and know my money is safe at night, than try to maneuver in the unchartered territory we’re about to go into over the next few months.

Let me make this very clear — I am not in panic mode — nor should you be.

But it’s time to get out smartly — just for a little while — and let the market settle down.

The lifeguard may be right — and the sharks on Wall Street might not circle and attack — but why risk it?

If you’ve been playing some of the names I’ve been mentioning here over the past several months — you’ve made some nice profits — take them!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again — good ol’ Gordon was wrong — greed is not good.

Again — I am positively not saying to stay out of the market over a long period of time, as I do think volatile markets can sometimes create the best buying opportunities — but I’d prefer any newbie investors to get their money on the sidelines until the seas calm a bit.

In any market, there’s always a risk — I just prefer to lower the downside risk as much as possible.

For those who feel compelled to stay in and do some bottom-picking, make sure your homework is complete and you also have a good handle on what your company’s earnings report will look like around the corner.

Another good idea for those wishing to keep some money in this market is to do some homework on oil or commodities.

In the meantime, remember the usual disclaimer: Don’t base any of your investment decisions on anything you read here. Do your own due diligience, or at least enough research to pick the right professional to do it for you.